green Flashcards
braggart
somebody who talks immodestly or with excessive pride about himself/herself
bragger, boaster, show-off
If you brag, you say in a very proud way that you have something or have done something.
The skater claimed he would take first place, but his words were merely that of a braggart.
adroit
displaying physical or mental skill
skillful, nimble, practiced, able
Someone who is adroit is quick and skillful in their thoughts, behavior, or actions.
In one swift, adroit move, the shoplifter pocketed the watch.
cynic
a person who believes that only selfishness motivates human actions & who disbelieves in or minimizes selfless acts or disinterested points of view
pessimist, skeptic, doubter
A cynic is someone who believes that people always act selfishly.
Don’t be a cynic! Stop expecting the worst from a good situation!
dingy
dirty & in bad condition; lacking light in a gloomy & unpleasant way
dirty, discolored, dull
A dingy building or place is rather dark and depressing, and perhaps dirty.
The servant scrubbed the dirty, dingy walls.
equestrian
relating to horses or horseback riding
horseman (woman), rider, horse-like
Equestrian means connected with the activity of riding horses.
Three nervous riders awaited the final run on the equestrian trails.
flail
to do something in an uncontrolled way
wave, thrash, flounder
If your arms or legs flail, they wave about in an energetic but uncontrolled way.
Struggling to free himself from the tangled ropes, the acrobat wildly flailed his arms.
guile
a cunning, deceitful, or treacherous quality
slyness, cleverness, craftiness
Guile is the quality of being good at deceiving people in a clever way.
With a little guile, she might get what she wants.
With evil guile, the tricky Scar lured little Simba into a trap.
hovel
a small, dirty place where someone lives, esp. a very poor person
hut, shack, shed
A hovel is a small hut, esp. one which is dirty or needs a lot of repair; you describe a house or room as a hovel to express your disapproval/dislike of it because it is dirty, untidy, & in poor condition.
The impoverished little village housed hundreds of peasants in tiny hovels.
infringe
to do something that is against the law or that limits someone’s legal rights
break, disobey, breach
If someone infringes a law/rule, they break it or do something which disobeys it; if something infringes people’s rights, it interferes with these rights & does not allow people the freedom they are entitled.
The American Civil Liberties Union fights to keep people’s rights from being infringed upon by documenting wrong terminations.
longevity
long duration of life; the length of a person’s life; the length of employment
endurance, durability, permanence
Longevity is long life.
With many living relatives reaching ages in their 90s, my mother’s family is marked by longevity.
murky
dark & difficult to see through; gloomy
dark, foggy, gloomy, misty
Murky water or fog is so dark & dirty that you cannot see through it; if you describe a situation or activity as murky, you suspect that it is dishonest or morally wrong; if you describe something as murky, you mean the details are not clear or that it is difficult to understand.
The face of a beautiful, young woman rose hauntingly to the surface of the murky waters.
obstinacy
determination in one’s opinions, ideas, behavior
stubbornness, determination, inflexibility
If you describe something as obstinate (adj.), you are being critical of them because they are very determined to do what they want, & refuse to change their mind or be persuaded to do something else; you can describe things as obstinate when they are difficult to move, change, or destroy.
Stubborn people often are unable to see how their obstinacy works against them.
precocious
developed or mature, especially mentally, at an unusually early age
intelligent, bright, gifted, talented
A precocious child is very clever, mature, or good at something often in a way that you usually only expect to find in an adult.
The precocious twelve-year-old entered his first year at Harvard.
realistic
decisions, plans, or aims that are realistic are based on what is actually possible
sensible, practical, accurate, reasonable
If you are realistic about a situation, you recognize and accept its true nature and try to deal with it in a practical way.
The movie’s murder scene was so realistic, many people left the theater shocked and shaking.
sequel
a continuation of a story; something following something else
continuation, development, follow-up
A book or film which is a sequel to an earlier one continues the story of the earlier one.
The last Star Wars sequel was actually a prequel to the story.
gargantuan
extremely large and big
huge, large, gigantic, enormous
If you say something is gargantuan, you are emphasizing that it is very large.
The towering dinosaur was gargantuan in size.
implicit
suggested or understood without being stated directly; done without doubt
understood, implied, unspoken, inherent, absolute
Something that is implicit is expressed in an indirect way; if you say that someone has an implicit belief or faith in something, you mean that they have complete faith in it and no doubts at all.
Though unspoken, there was an implicit understanding of loyalty between the couple.
incipient
starting to happen or exist
initial, developing, just beginning
An incipient situation or quality is one that is starting to happen or develop.
A cracking voice is an incipient sign of maturation in young men.
indentured
describes an apprentice or servant who serves a master or employer
bound, contracted, enslaved
In the past, an indentured worker was one who was forced to work for someone for a period of time because of an agreement made by people in authority.
After serving ten years as an indentured servant, the woman secured her freedom.
inscrutable
incapable of being investigated, analyzed, or scrutinized; not easily understood
ambiguous, mysterious, unfathomable
If a person or their expression is inscrutable, it is very hard to know what they are really thinking or what they mean.
In public, the star’s demeanor around his female friends remained inscrutable, so it was extremely difficult for TMZ to gossip about his love life.
iota
a very small amount of something
bit, scrap, grain, speck
If you say that there is not an iota or not one iota of something, you are emphasizing that there is not even a very small amount of it.
Not one iota of dog kibble remained after the two Labradors wolfed their dinner.
juncture
a point in time, especially an important or critical one; a place where two or more things join
union, connector, merger
At a juncture means at a particular point in time, especially when it is a very important time in a process or series of events.
A new stoplight was installed at the juncture of the two main roads.
infallible
Incapable of making a mistake; unfailing in effectiveness or operation
perfect, reliable, dependable, foolproof
If a person or thing is infallible, they are never wrong.
Although Brock Lesnar is an experienced fighter, he is not an infallible athlete; he can lose just like the best of them.
maritime
relating to the sea, shipping, sailing in ships, or living and working at sea
nautical, naval, marine
Maritime is used to describe things relating to the sea and to ships.
The oceans are ruled by separate maritime laws.
masochistic
enjoyment of something that most people think is unpleasant or painful; relating to the desire to be humiliated and abused by others in order to feel sexually fulfilled
Masochistic behavior involves a person getting pleasure, often of a sexual nature, from their own pain and suffering.
It is hard for most people to believe that masochistic people actually enjoy pain.
